Ennis Faces Backlash After Ortiz Fight Collapse
Jaron Ennis has faced significant backlash after his fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. broke down.
Ennis had reportedly reached a verbal agreement to face Ortiz Jr. subject to a formal announcement. It would have been Ennis’ first time fighting at junior middleweight following his victory over Karen Chukhadzhian in his last bout. Boots was struggling to make unification fights at 147. Despite being linked with a fight against Brian Norman Jr., the bout never happened after disagreements over the purse.
A bout with the WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios also failed to gain traction. That left Ennis with a big decision to make. He could have stayed at 147 and hoped to make those bouts or moved up to 154. Just when a move up to 154 seemed likely, it appears that there may have been differences over the weight class as the reason why the Ortiz fight never happened. It is alleged Ennis wanted it at 147, something Ortiz could not do.
Ennis Vs. Ortiz
“The notion by anyone that Vergil Ortiz would come down to 147 is comedy. The guy ended up in the hospital at his last 147 weight cut. Why Ennis’ team wasting everyone’s time just to put 147 in the paperwork at the last minute is disingenuousness of the highest order,” Dan Rafael said
That has left Ennis in a difficult position. If he does not fight a welterweight champion in his next bout, fans will question whether he is as good as he says. Ennis looked far from impressive in his last fight, getting hit more than usual. Shawn Porter has also accused him of being overrated. Boots never won his title outright. He was elevated from his interim champion status once Terrence Crawford moved to 154 pounds. Crawford was stripped for trying to make the Errol Spence Jr. rematch. Ennis still has to beat a legitimate champion to solidify his claim as a genuine big-name welterweight.
Ennis Backlash
As for Ortiz, he is the WBC Interim Junior Middleweight Champion. He is already in a mandatory position to face Sebastian Fundora. Although there are suggestions that he could target the Fundora fight next, Ortiz also knows that a fight against a lesser well-known opponent will keep him active. It will also keep him in a position to face the eventual champion once the mandatory is called. That leaves all the pressure on Ennis, who must decide where he goes from here. Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s manager, Rick Mirigian, has blamed Ennis.
“Let us know soon if you’re putting yourself to the ultimate test as a fighter and giving the fans what they want and making a career-high pay day or just simply going to do another fight at 147 that no one can even pronounce or know who the opponent is, let alone care about. Ortiz is a different breed. “Hope to see you in Saudi Arabia but be careful what you wish for… these boys different at 154 and hit like a truck,” Mirigian stated
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